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‘I Thought This Was It:’ Passengers Relive Terror Of Air France Flight Scare

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The people onboard Air France flight AF066 are describing their terror after the plane suffered major engine trouble in-flight.

Their airbus took from Paris bound for Los Angeles with 497 passengers but was diverted to a Canadian airport Saturday when one of its four engines suffered serious damage over the Atlantic.

Images posted to social media show the front portion of the engine torn off. Passengers describe hearing a loud thud and say they felt the plane shaking.

CBS2/KCAL9 spoke with passengers who shared their stories after finally landing in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon. Many of them said they thought the plane was going to crash.

“I thought this was it. We all did. It was so intense and loud and the aircraft shook. You could tell the pilot was trying to regain control. We just dropped immediately,” passenger Robert Bachini said.

“Insane,” passenger Sarah Eamigh added through tears. “You don’t ever think it’s going to be you and then when you see it it’s reality and you think the worst. You never know, you know. You think the worst.”

Another woman gave a thumbs up. “She’s alive,” she said, referring to another passenger.

Passengers said they spent several hours waiting to be put on another plane to fly back to L.A.

Many are now dealing with lost luggage at the airport but everyone we spoke with said they are happy to be home safe and sound.